Can she actually climb out of her cot? If so definitely time to transfer her to a bed as she may fall and hurt herself.
If not, do whatever she wants, if she likes her cot keep it, if she doesn't try her in a bed. You could put her mattress on the floor and she can 'camp' if your concerned about her falling out of a bed.
2 and a half is far too young to worry about being dry in the night, that will happen when she's good and ready.
When she wakes in the morning what does she want to do? Where does she want to go back to sleep. Even though she's only little the best way to find a solution is to ask her, maybe put a few suggestions to her and see which one she likes best. I personally would put her on a mattress on the floor in her sleeping bag and let her climb into your bed when she wakes early. What she sleeps in and where is really unimportant so long as she's safe. Little children prefer familiar things to new ones for comfort so if she's been happy in her sleeping bag keep using that.
Let her sleep with you and she will never have any of these problems. Children cling to a specific blanket as a mother substitute. Then they grow up looking for toys, food and other consumerism as substitute for love and human connection.
Through all of history and in most of the world today children sleep with their parents and are happy, independent and good sleepers.
Read, The family bed, Attachment Parenting, and, Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves.
I am not sure sleeping in my bed would help her as she would probably never sleep in her own bed, as this is my ultimate aim for her to be secure in her own bed. I am sure it works for some people but not us. My son is 5 years old and each night comes into our bedroom. We send him back when we are not too tired or when it is an unreasonable time eg. before 6am. Most of the time he is in our bed sleeping from 6am onwards so my daughter would struggle to find a space in our bed in the first place. Thanks anwyay
Yes, it's unfair that our son sleeps in our bed, but this is not through choice. I don't want to make the same mistake again. I suppose your kids are perfect and sleep in their own beds every night. That's because all children are different. We got into the habit of letting him in our bed so as to not disturb the baby when he was young and now it's a hard habit to break.
If he wakes up at 6am and I get up at 6.30am on my working days, what should I do? Mess about for the next half hour until I get up and so wake up the rest of the house or let him in our bed so the rest of the house gets another hour's sleep?
Remember life is not always perfect and I was asking advice on whether she was ready for a bed, not on whether the whole family should sleep in the same bed.
